Chapter 3 The Library Rules

Amara walked into the campus library at exactly 3:58 p.m., her laptop tucked under one arm, determination in her stride. The library smelled of old pages and ambition-her kind of place. Quiet. Predictable. Safe.

Unlike Lucian Blake, who was already seated at one of the far tables, legs stretched out, flipping through a book he clearly wasn't reading.

"You're early," she said, taking the seat across from him.

Lucian looked up, a lazy smirk curling his lips. "You sound surprised."

"I'm just not used to commitment from guys like you."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Ouch. That sounds personal."

She opened her laptop without a word, not willing to feed the charm he wore like armor. "Let's start. The sooner we finish, the less time we'll need to spend together."

Lucian chuckled low in his throat. "That's cold, sunshine. And here I thought we were bonding."

Amara ignored the flutter in her chest at the nickname.

They spent the first twenty minutes in silence-Amara focused, Lucian occasionally typing but mostly watching her with that unreadable expression. It was unnerving, like he was trying to figure out what shade of storm she kept behind her calm face.

Finally, Lucian leaned back in his chair. "You don't like people, do you?"

She looked up sharply. "I like people. Just not the ones who think being reckless is a personality."

Lucian laughed softly. "And you think I'm reckless?"

"I don't think it," Amara said, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's obvious. You flirt with everyone. You skip classes. You don't care what anyone thinks."

"Maybe I just don't want to be what everyone expects me to be," he replied, his smile faltering for a brief second.

There it was again. That flicker of something deeper-something darker.

Amara stared at him, her lips parting slightly, but before she could say anything, the librarian shushed them from across the room. She looked away, cheeks warming.

Lucian leaned forward, voice lowered. "If you knew the real me, Amara Cole, you'd probably run."

She met his gaze, calm and steady. "Try me."

For a split second, Lucian's eyes searched hers, like he was trying to decide if she meant it.

Then he smiled again, this time softer. "You're not like the others."

"And you're not what you pretend to be," she said, standing to pack up her things. "Tomorrow. Same time?"

Lucian nodded slowly. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

As she walked out of the library, she could feel it-something had shifted.

And for the first time since she arrived at Linwood, Amara wasn't sure if she was still playing it safe... or stepping straight into danger.